Audio: J. Cole – “Miss America”

J. Cole sounds like he wrote “Miss America”–the lead single off his sophomore album Born Sinner–before Obama won re-election. Or more accurately, before Romney lost. He sounds mad, is what I’m trying to convey here. Kicking off with a JFK sample and “PSA”-like intro Cole quickly segues into loaded clips and conflicted feelings, sounding more like a battle-scarred vet than a rookie with one album under his belt. But then again, remembering he is the same cat who made the beat for Kendrick’s “HiiiPower” maybe we shouldn’t be surprised to hear him go a little 2pacalypse now on a track like this. Whether this suits your post-election mood or not, Cole does his thing on the verses–a hopeful sign for the new LP, even if the beat is wild ominous. Born Sinner is due out January 28th, “Miss America” goes on sale as a single on iTunes tonight.